Thursday, September 16, 2010

So my husband's a high school teacher and sometimes the teenage vernacular comes home with him. 'WTF' is one of those which I inadvertently picked up. If you don't already know what it is short for, I'm sure you can surmise. Just know that for my purposes, I always say and think it exactly like it is written 'w.t.f.' and not the full intended exclamation. That said, I have found myself wondering about a few things lately and muttering that expression. Maybe someone can help me out with one or two of these things?

1. I love perfume. For years I wore Angel, introduced to me by Michelle, who started wearing it when it was only available in France. I got sick of it after a while as it is very distinct and strong and became more popular. There was no problem whatsoever with it's staying power. Then I tired one of the Angel Innocents, and while I really like the scent it does not stay. No one has ever noticed it on me, not once. So I decided to try again and got some Lilly Pulitzer Squeeze. It is very citrus-y as the name suggests. I love it! But again- no staying power! I have tried mixing it with lotion- putting a bit of lotion in my hand and then spraying directly onto it about 6 times. Then I put that all over my decolletage (or neck./chest region if you prefer). I still spray several times on my neck and arms. It smells great. Until I walk out of the room, and then it seems to have evaporated. Throughout the day I may or may not be able to recall the smell if I bury my nose into my arm. What am I doing wrong? WTF?

2. Our fridge has given us problems for as long as I can remember. Often the contents of the freezer are only semi-frozen: ice cream turns to soup, and sometimes the ice cubes don't even freeze! Just water. However in the back of the fridge, things can freeze all the time. A glass water pitcher froze and shattered, produce becomes wasted as it has frozen and thawed repeatedly. Last week our milk spoiled before the expiration date, I believe, because it was not cold enough. When do you repair a fridge and when do you just get a new one? I suspect it's not a very nice one. It was new-ish when we moved here three years ago, but I think it's very, er, affordable. What do I do? WTF?

3. I am reading Edgar Sawtelle right now on Michelle's recommendation and am really liking it. However, there is a stillbirth in the first 25 pages that I was not warned about. This is the 2nd book in row that Shell has expressly recommended to me that had a stillbirth within the first 25 pages and I was blindsided. 2 in a row! WTF?

4. My face is in a sad state lately, and as I was talking to Timm tonight I took part in a bad habit of picking at it. As is started to bleed (as it inevitably does) he said 'And now you have a dirty pock-marked face.' When I met this uncharacteristically rude comment with shock and horror he added 'It's...pretty ugly.' WTF?

5. Ever since school started Bella has been having way more tantrums than usual. It seems almost daily we have some kind of drama or issue to contend with. I'm hoping that I can chalk it up to the long days, the transition, the stress, growing pains... and that it will abate soon. It seems that Bella has defied my expectations and in some ways has gotten increasingly more difficult as she's gotten older. WTF?

6. No matter what the condition of my skin, I have always been free of any kind of body acne, mercifully. But lately, even when my skin is getting better, I have started getting small breakouts on my shoulders and back- a first in 29 years. It super grosses me out. WTF?

When we were living in France, I read a post by David Lebovitz where he used WTF as an acronym for Welcome to France. It was awesome. So that's what I think of now. I quite often say what the hell but now it's usually just what the? (one of my favorite things from Extremely Loud and Incredibly close).

It is really annoying when perfume doesn't last. Is it that you just can't smell it anymore? Can Timm smell it? Either way, annoying.

We are on our 3rd fridge already. I say if you could find one on Craigslist, go for it! Not much to lose. 4 years is pretty good considering how long new appliances last these days.

I feel so badly about the books! Apparently I just push that stuff right out of my mind or something. I shall have to do better. Or stop recommending books.

Okay, so maybe it's because I am old but I cringe when I hear WTF, because I always think the worse. And I hate that word more than any other! I guess it comes from hanging out at my kids HS too much.

I agree with the others - check craigslist.

You are a beautiful girl and always look so cute when I see you. Most often we are our worse critics when it comes to blemishes. But, I do understand why you don't like it. Oh and as far as Timm's comment - men can be idiots!

hahahahah! I loved the part about picking your face because I do it ALL. THE. TIME. and Charlie really freaks out about it. It's like by me picking my face, I've just committed the biggest crime possible in his book. It's quite absurd in my eyes.

And perfume...I'm addicted to Chanel Coco Mademoiselle, but idk...maybe it'd be too strong? Princess by Vera Wang stays all day, and that isn't as strong.

I'm loving Edgar Sawtelle too, and when I got to the stillbirth part, I was hoping that if you had read it that you were warned. Guess not. I'm almost halfway through and loving it. Very different but very good.

Regarding your refrigerator, I was listening to a home improvement show on the radio the other day and someone called with this same problem. If I remember correctly, the host suggested a good cleaning of the stuff under the fridge, including the drip pan (yeah, I didn't realize that I should be cleaning this out on a regular basis, either--you're not alone). I hate it when the refrigerator doesn't do its job. It's just something I take for granted.

And regarding Bella's behavior, one of my favorite first grade teachers at our elementary school told me (when one of my kids was acting similarly--can't remember which one) that adjusting to a new school routine is harder than you might think for a young child, and it takes all of her energy to be on best behavior during the school day. When she get home, it's like a "safe zone" to let down and let it all out. Lucky us.

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About Me

An almost- agoraphobe, I am a wife and mother who strives to exist beyond those definitions, as well as live up to them. I take vast pleasure in cardigans, food, sleep, reading, creating, and getting a good deal. Owner of rats, a fledgling runner, and addicted to sugar.